By Chris DePew
TideFans.com Staff
Feb. 21, 2018
Alabama gave up a dozen 3-pointers and got embarrassed on the glass as No. 12 Auburn sent the Crimson Tide back to Tuscaloosa smarting after a 90-71 beatdown.
What did we learn today?: All those open looks from behind the arc that Bama has allowed this year will bury them against a team capable of knocking down shots. Auburn already led the SEC in 3-point makes before Wednesday’s game, and with its frontcourt decimated by injury illness and, umm, legal entanglements, it was entirely predictable that the Tigers would stake everything on its ability to hit from long distance. But if that information made it into Alabama’s scouting report, you couldn’t tell. The Tide played the same overpursuing defensive style that left them a step behind all night and excellent shooters wide open behind the arc just waiting to receive the pass and light up the scoreboard. Auburn barely cleared 35 percent from behind the arc, but the Tigers got enough extra chances thanks to their superior hustle on the glass and 14 steals from Alabama’s sloppy ball handlers.
What were the biggest concerns?: Alabama’s big men got flat-out punked. Auburn played with just seven scholarship players, only two of whom were even 6-foot-8, but that’s all they needed to neutralize Donta Hall. He looked slow and out of sorts all night, finishing with just seven points and five rebounds. But that was practically a Hall of Fame performance next to Daniel Giddens, who went scoreless with one rebound and soon saw his meaningful minutes distributed to Braxton Key, Galin Smith and increasingly Alex Reese. Between him and John Petty, who hit a garbage-time 3-pointer after bricking his first eight attempts, Alabama got zero meaningful points from two of its starters.
What was the best part of the game?: Bama made a 1-point improvement over last year’s 84-64 humiliation at Auburn Arena. And Avery Johnson did the postgame radio interview, which Anthony Grant used to blow off somewhat regularly after these kind of whippings. And Bruce Pearl was nice enough to call off the dogs late to keep Bama from giving up 100 points. If none of those things sound like the “best part,” feel free to stream the replay and find your own.
Who was the star?: Collin Sexton shot the ball a dozen times, and arguably he should have shot it at least a half-dozen more. Sexton was 8-for-12 from the field, 7-for-8 at the line and finished with 25 points. He also knocked down a pair of 3-pointers, and is rapidly turning what had been the biggest flaw in his game into an acceptable attribute. With possibly as few as five games left in his college career, it would nice to see one of his big games matched with a full-team effort. But the shame of this season is that it might not happen.
What’s next?: With three games left to try to secure a top-four finish and the double bye in the SEC Tournament, Bama returns home Saturday to face another perimeter-oriented team in Arkansas. Tipoff at Coleman Coliseum is at 5 p.m. Central on the SEC Network.
Follow Chris DePew on Twitter @TideFansChris